Massa tops timesheet in rain-hit practice

Russian Grand Prix faces forlorn start as only eight cars set times

SOCHI: Felipe Massa topped the times in Friday’s forlorn and rain-swept second free practice session for Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix, the Brazilian clocking the best lap in the closing seconds as only eight cars set times.

After the morning session was reduced to an hour following a diesel spillage that made the Sochi Autodrom circuit slippery and treacherous, the afternoon was hit by torrential rain which left the track awash with water in many places.

Massa in his Williams took top spot away from Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas in a final flurry of action that also saw four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel jump up to second in his Ferrari. Bottas fell to third.

Massa’s best lap was 2min and 0.458sec, two-tenths quicker than the time set by Bottas, as the track improved marginally, but a long way off last year’s pole time set by world champion Lewis Hamilton of 1min and 38.5sec.

Dutch teenager Max Verstappen, who celebrated his 18th birthday by passing his driving test last week, was fourth for Toro Rosso ahead of two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso, in his 250th Grand Prix, in a McLaren-Honda running with an updated engine. The Spaniard, who on Thursday confirmed he intends to remain with the struggling outfit and see out his contract till 2017, has already used nine engines this year and will be on his 10th in this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix.

Local hope Russian Daniil Kvyat was sixth for Red Bull ahead of Spaniard Carlos Sainz in the second Toro Rosso and Briton Jenson Button in the second McLaren.

No other drivers set meaningful lap times on a day that gave few clues to performance, or the qualifying session and race ahead.

“Not a great day for the fans who came here to watch us,” said German Nico Rosberg, who trails Hamilton by 48 points with five races remaining.

Frenchman Romain Grosjean, who will leave Lotus for the new American-owned Haas team next year, was equally succinct.

“Boring,” he said. “The rain came just before that session so we did a team ‘selfie’ and we discussed the track. It was too wet and there was no point in running. We’ll just have to wait and do all the work on Saturday.”

In the absence of any real track action, the paddock was abuzz with rumours about the future of the Red Bull and Toro Rosso teams — who remain without confirmed engine suppliers for next season.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2015.

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